


love is in the air

by noahczerns, pynch



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Everyone Is Alive, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-27 12:56:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6285346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noahczerns/pseuds/noahczerns, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pynch/pseuds/pynch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em></em>
  <br/>
  <a href="http://dailyau.tumblr.com/post/138603422483/author-of-book-gets-seated-next-to-someone-reading">Author of book gets seated next to someone reading their book and making entertaining faces at each scene AU</a>
  <br/>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the meeting

**Author's Note:**

> the lame title is from becca blame her

For nearly half an hour, Ronan Lynch has been doing nothing but reading. It was a book Gansey had lent him, promising it would distract him from first-plane-ride jitters. So far, the book had done just that. He started it while waiting for his plane to be called, managing to get at least one-hundred pages in, but there was still about two-hundred left. Gansey had warned him that the take-off was the worst part of the entire flight, but Ronan barely paid attention. He doubted he would’ve noticed anything if it wasn’t for the pilot speaking through the intercom, telling everyone to buckle up and prepare themselves. 

Now they were in the air heading towards Virginia, and Ronan’s eyes were glued to the pages in front of him. The only time he looked away was to glance out the window, which provided the most beautiful view Ronan had ever seen. Not even he could dream something as beautiful. 

“What book is that?” asked the man seated next to Ronan. He was tan, his bare arms covered in freckles, and the only other time Ronan would happen to stop reading was to stare at the stranger’s hands. His fingers were long and had been wrapped around a pencil for the entirety of the flight. Ronan hadn’t been bothered enough to see what he was writing, and he still wasn’t. He contemplated ignoring him altogether. 

Instead of answering, he turned his book to the side, allowing the man to read the title for himself. He looked up to see his reaction and found the man trying to conceal a smile that Ronan couldn’t help but think was secretive; like he was the only one finding a joke funny. 

It annoyed Ronan. 

“What?” he asked, his light blue eyes narrowing. The man held his hands up in mock surrender, his own blue eyes bright with amusement. He didn’t answer Ronan - just turned back to his papers and began writing again. 

Maybe it was Ronan’s imagination, but he thought the man was blocking his papers as if shielding his work from Ronan’s eyes. 

Ronan scoffed internally, biting back the words he wanted to spit at the stranger. As if Ronan gave a fuck what he was writing. With a little shake of his head, Ronan returned to the book, his focus almost immediately returning to the words he was reading. 

It was another fifteen minutes in which Ronan spent making faces at the book before the stranger spoke again. 

“Do you like it?” 

His was trying to make his voice seem causal, subtle, and Ronan averted his gaze from the book and leveled it with the man. His bushy brows were drawn together, and he was impatiently awaiting Ronan’s answer. 

Ronan made him suffer for another twenty seconds before shrugging. His response was, “It’s alright, I guess” but that was an understatement. Ronan didn’t read a lot, finding it hard to concentrate on the words, so he didn’t have much to compare the book to. Not that it mattered, because Ronan--even though he didn’t voluntarily read--thought the book was amazing. The writing was fantastic. It was descriptive without being overly so, and Ronan was generally drawn to the characters and their lives. 

He felt as big a loser as Gansey was. 

The man didn’t give Ronan a verbal response, just nodded his head slowly and returned to his notebook. This time Ronan tried to catch a glimpse of the words he was scrawling down, but was unsuccessful. He soon gave up and went back to reading, too close to finishing to spend the next half an hour focused on the stranger next to him. 

By the time Ronan reached the end of the book, he had tears in his eyes. He blinked them away, angry at himself for almost crying over a book, but after he read the last line, he no longer had the urge to cry. Now he wanted to break the plane window and throw the book out of it. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ronan nearly shouted, many heads swiveling in his direction, including the stranger next to him. “You can’t be fucking serious.” 

The stranger cocked his head, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Did something happen?” 

And Ronan, who was desperate to express his anger, nodded. “Yeah, something fucking happened. Listen to this shit: ‘His words were spoken softly, almost as if he was afraid to speak them. He had barely gotten the last word out when the ground beneath him shook. When he looked up to meet her eyes, his expression was frightened, and she would have given anything to stop what she knew was about to happen. But the moment she stepped forward, the world around her went black.’ It fucking ends right there! Who the fuck ends a book like that?” 

“It’s a cliffhanger,” he said, laughing under his breath. He looked amused, and Ronan was growing even angrier. The stranger realized this and cleared his throat, trying to sober up. “It’s meant to keep a reader on the edge of his or her seat. It’s to set the start of the ne--” 

“I know what a fucking cliffhanger is, I don’t need a definition,” Ronan interrupted, glaring daggers at the man. “I also know that no one fucking likes them. And how do I know if there’s going to be a second book? Maybe the author is a fucking asshole who enjoys angering his or her readers.” 

The stranger looked thoughtful. “I bet there’s going to be a sequel,” he reasoned, clearing his throat quietly. “Unless the author does actually enjoy making his readers angry, which I doubt he does.” 

Ronan scoffed. “Whatever. I bet he does, the fucking asshole.” 

He studied the book for a moment longer, then flipped it over. His eyes skimmed over the author synopsis, glaring until a single word caught his attention. The author, like Ronan, was from Henrietta. It said he now lived in New York, where he wrote during his free time, and his name was Adam Parrish. Ronan didn’t know why the name sounded so familiar. 

When Ronan finally reached the image of the author, he stiffened. Staring back at him was the man he was sitting next to on the plane. In the picture, he was smiling widely, his hands resting on the cover of his book. 

“Find anything interesting?” the man--Adam Parrish--asked. He didn’t try to disguise his amusement, and Ronan felt his entire face heat up. 

He tried to sound angry so Adam couldn’t tell he was embarrassed, but it didn’t work. “Why the fuck didn’t you say anything before I started trashing your fucking book?” he snapped. 

Adam grinned. “Why would I? Like every author, I want to know my readers’ honest opinion. If you had known who I was, would you have said what you did?” 

And Ronan, ever the honest asshole, sneered. “Of course I fucking would’ve. The ending to your book is shit.” 

Before Adam could respond, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom, announcing their arrival time to be 12:07. That left ten minutes exactly. 

“So, what, you’re returning to your hometown?” Ronan asked, hoping to get off the topic of the book. “Book signing or something?” 

Adam looked uncomfortable at the question. “No,” he said, his voice sounding flat. “I’m going to my friend’s wedding.” 

Realization dawned on Ronan. He suddenly remembered why the name Adam Parrish had seemed so familiar, and he laughed humorlessly. “So you’re the fucking author friend,” he said, his voice sounding as flat as Adam’s had, “that Blue can never seem to shut the fuck up about.” 

Adam seemed momentarily surprised. Ronan watched him take in his appearance, his gaze lingering on Ronan’s shoulders. He knew right away that Blue must’ve said something about his tattoo, and his eyes narrowed into slits as he twisted his body, shoulders now out of view. The movement caused Adam to look up, a smile now dancing on his lips. 

“You’re the asshole,” he said, leaning back in his seat, “that Blue can also never seem to shut the fuck up about. Ronan, isn’t it?” 

Ronan was going to rip Blue to shreds. 

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom once more, telling everyone to buckle up. A minute later, they were unbuckling, and everyone was gathering their luggage. Ronan stayed in his seat, not wanting to fight his way into the aisle, and Adam did the same. When there wasn’t many people left, Adam stood, grabbed the luggage from the rack above, and handed Ronan his. 

His fingers brushed against Ronan’s, who was just now standing up. “There’s a sequel,” Adam said, gesturing to the papers in his hands. “With no cliffhanger for an ending.” 

In response, Ronan grumbled something rude under his breath, and Adam grinned. Together, they stepped off the plane, Ronan listening to every word Adam had to say. 

He made a mental note to thank Gansey for loaning him the book.


	2. the wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> becca wrote this wedding fic. thank her for those who were asking for this!! 
> 
> thanks for reading

“Did Blue and Gansey arrange transport for you?” Adam asked as he and Ronan walked towards the airport exit, dragging their suitcases behind them. 

“Yeah they did, did they do yours too?” 

Adam nodded. “What number taxi did they tell you to look for?” 

Ronan covered his eyes from the sudden light as they pushed open the door to the parking lot. There was only one taxi waiting in the bay. “I’m going to guess it’s the same number as yours.” He heaved his suitcase to his side. They were both waiting for taxi number 12. 

Adam looked at him with his eyebrow raised. “Saves money, I guess.” 

“Gansey never saves money.” 

“Then it was probably Blue’s idea.” 

Ronan agreed that that was the most likely answer, and headed towards the trunk of the car. He opened the trunk and shoved his suitcase in, noting how light it was even for a brief stay of a few days. All he had packed was his suit for the wedding, some underwear and a spare change of clothes just in case. He didn’t plan on wearing anything other than his black jeans and tank top whilst he was out here anyway. 

Ronan turned to Adam who stood with his own suitcase in his hands, ready to put it next to his. Ronan held out his hands to take it.

“Oh no, I can do it myself, thank you.” Adam said hurriedly. Ronan didn’t argue, and stepped aside for Adam to place his case in. Once they were satisfied the trunk was successfully locked, they took to opposite sides of the car. 

Ronan was practically exhausted from his day of travel, and since he hadn’t slept a wink on the plane ride, fell asleep almost as soon as the car started moving. He woke a few times when the car hit a bump on the gravelled roads, noticing Adam wringing his hands from the corner of his eyes. Whenever he awoke, he was always staring out of the window. Ronan wondered what it was he was thinking about, before sleep caught up with him and took him over again. 

Hours later, Ronan awoke to Adam gently shaking his shoulders. Ronan blinked away sleep and attempted to focus on Adam’s face in front of him. He paid particular attention to the splatters of freckles that were only visible at this short distance. 

“Wake up. We’re here.” Adam leaned back, unclipped his seatbelt, and pushed himself out of the car. 

Ronan groaned, he tried to stretch his still sleeping legs but they merely hit the back of the car seat, causing him to groan more. He unclipped his own seatbelt and followed Adam, rubbing his eyes as he went. 

After checking it at the hotel and going their separate ways to their rooms, there was only a few hours remaining until the wedding. Ronan still hadn’t seen Gansey yet, and he was supposed to be his best man, so he quickly changed into his suit and asked the reception where the groom happened to be. As it happened, Gansey’s room was right next to Ronan’s. Ronan cursed as he stomped up the four flights of stairs he had just walked down. 

“Gansey?” Ronan called after knocking his fist on the oakwood door. “Are you in there?” He checked his watch and tapped his foot on the floor. 

The door latch shifted, and Gansey’s face appeared behind the door. “Ronan! Thank God you’re here, I was worried you might be late.” 

Gansey opened the door further to let Ronan inside. The room was the exact same as Ronan’s; a white, spacious king-sized bed was the main feature, a long sofa that looked as if iit had come out of the stone age, and wall-length windows that looked over the ground. 

“There’s still a couple of hours to go yet.” Ronan said, turning back to Gansey, “And it’s your wedding. I’m not that much of an asshole.” 

Gansey gave him an _if you say so_ look. “Did you get here okay? How’s Adam? I haven’t seen him in a while, he’s been talking more to Blue you see, but he is rather interesting. Don’t you think?” 

Ronan didn’t particularly want to tell Gansey just _how_ interesting he found Adam. “He’s okay, I guess. His book fucking sucked though. That ending? What even _was_ that?” 

Gansey quietly agreed whilst adjusting his tie in the mirror, and smoothing down his shirt. “I thought it was a very good book.” 

Ronan shook his head. “I mean, it _was_ , that’s what makes the ending so frustrating.” 

“He told Blue he’s writing another one. A sequel.” 

“He mentioned that, but it doesn’t change how he ended _this_ one.” 

“Lots of books end in cliff hangers. You would know that if you read more.” 

“Fuck you.” Ronan replied, rolling his eyes. “You hang out with Blue too much.” 

“Well, yes. That’s kind of why we’re getting married.” Gansey said, puzzled. “Anyway, how do I look?” 

“Just dashing.” Ronan said, mimicking Gansey’s accent. 

Gansey spent the remaining hours before the ceremony asking Ronan about his own life at the present moment and checking his appearance in the mirror at regular intervals. Ronan’s answers were as brief as they usually were. “No I don’t have a boyfriend,” was followed by Gansey nodding and smiling suspiciously. 

The ceremony itself wasn’t as dull as Ronan had expected it to be. Granted, standing in front of the entire Gansey and Sargent family was as daunting as one would expect, but witnessing tears stream down Gansey’s face as he professed his commitment to Blue was something that stuck with Ronan, and he found himself searching the crowd for Adam’s face. 

Ronan secretly hoped he would be able to speak to Adam later, and with the way Gansey had acted earlier, he suspected it would probably be arranged. 

The guests followed the bride and groom into the large ballroom where they would be holding the after party. The room had high ceilings, and it was filled with tables and balloons and banners all of a variety of colors, courtesy of the Sargents. Ronan spotted Helen Gansey cover her mouth with her hand at the monstrosity of colors clashing together. 

Gansey clapped Ronan on the back, directing him to his table with a nod of the head. “You better have your speech ready!” 

Ronan felt for the piece of paper in the pocket of his blazer. It was crumpled now by the amount of times he had reached into his pocket to check that it was still there. “Yeah, all ready.” 

Ronan headed to the table Gansey had pointed at whilst Gansey chatted with the other guests. It was the head table, Ronan’s name card was to the right of Blue and Gansey’s, and to the right of Ronan’s, the name card said _Adam Parrish_. Ronan snorted. Typically, he would have resented Gansey, but this time he was grateful. 

The wooden chair squeaked against the floor as he pulled it out to take a seat. He could almost see the entire room from this angle. Taking a glass from the middle of the table, Ronan poured himself a drink. He wasn’t much of a drinker anymore, except on special occasions like this one. 

Noah drew nearer to his table, and took a seat to the left of Blue’s place. “Hey, you alright?” 

“I’m great,” Ronan said, lifting up his glass of champagne, “what about you?” 

Noah was about to reply, when something caught his eye to the side of Ronan. Noah raised an eyebrow and winked, then picked up a menu and began to scan it. Ronan narrowed his eyes at him, and turned to see what he had been looking at. Next to him stood Adam Parrish. Ronan blinked and then awkwardly stuck his hand out for a handshake. He regretted it almost immediately, but Adam took it anyway. 

“So you’re the best man, huh?” Adam said, taking a seat. “You didn’t mention that on the plane.” 

Ronan shrugged. It was hard to remain casual when Adam was staring at him so intently. “Didn’t want to make your friendship seem inferior.” 

“How generous of you.” 

Ronan enjoyed Adam’s ease with sarcasm, it was hard to be sarcastic around Gansey when he took everything so serious all the time. 

Seconds later, after getting everyone seated correctly, Blue and Gansey arrived at the table. Noah jumped up and hugged the both of them immediately and forcefully, almost toppling them over. Blue took her seat between Noah and Gansey, whilst Gansey stayed standing in front in front of his chair. 

Gansey cleared his throat, and spoke directly towards the entire room, “Thank you all for coming here today, from both of us -“ he put his hand gently on Blue’s shoulder, “- it has been a real pleasure to marry this woman.” 

Gansey’s speech carried on for another five minutes, and Ronan quickly and discreetly wiped a tear that _definitely_ had not fallen. Gansey, however, was less subtle and let the tears wet his cheeks. Ronan was thankful for such control over his own waterworks. 

“Anyway, that’s enough from me,” Gansey concluded, “Now it’s Ronan’s turn.” 

He swivelled and gave Ronan an encouraging smile, and a look that said: _Remember that my family is here._ Ronan returned the smile, pushed his chair backwards, and stood. He rocked on his heels as he took the piece of paper out of his pocket. Smoothing the paper out, he began. 

“I’ve known Gansey since we were about 14 or 15 years old. He was always a smart ass and a nerd, even back then,” Ronan had wanted to say /fucking nerd/, but he thought he would let Gansey off this one time. “I don’t know how many of you have heard the story of how Blue and Gansey met, but I sure as hell want to tell you.” Gansey eyes widened and his mouth formed an O shape, Blue shook her head and laughed at the memory. “Gansey, Noah and I were in Nino’s, I’m sure you all know the place. Pretty shitty if you ask me, but anyway. Blue was working a shift, and Gansey asked her if she would like to join us, whilst she was working for a living, as she so very kindly reminded us. And Blue shouted, without a concern for who could hear her, ‘I am _NOT_ a prostitute!’” 

The Fox Way ladies’ laughs were the loudest in the room, closely followed by Helen’s. Gansey’s head was in his hands, and Blue rolled her eyes at Ronan, but she was laughing too. 

Orla’s speech came after Ronan’s, and then Maura’s, and Mr. Gansey’s came last. 

“I have to admit yours was the most entertaining of everyone's,” Adam said after Mr. Gansey had sat down and the music had started. Tables were being pushed to the side of the room to reveal the dance floor. Noah, Gansey, and Blue had left moments ago but Adam and Ronan remained seated. 

“Of course it was,” Ronan replied, “what beats the groom accidentally calling his bride a prostitute?” 

Adam laughed, “That’s true.” 

Ronan wanted to ignore the impulse that needed to hear Adam’s laugh again. “So, have you started the sequel to that book yet? I meant to ask before.” 

“I have some ideas, nothing’s concrete.” Adam said, taking a sip of his drink. His gaze never left Ronan’s face. 

“So you wouldn’t mind if I told you what I would want from it?” Ronan tested, leaning his chin on his hand. 

Mimicking Ronan’s posture, Adam replied, “I’m always open to hearing thoughts from readers.” 

“Great, so… I think the - what are you doing?” 

Adam looked up to the sound of Ronan’s voice. He had been rummaging through his bag that was slung on the back of his chair, and seconds later he was holding a pen and paper from the contents. “I might take some notes, that’s all.” He smiled at Ronan. “As you were saying?” 

“Right,” Ronan took a second to compose his thoughts. He hadn’t expected Adam to be taking his comments so _seriously_. 

Whilst Ronan explained his ideal sequel to the book, Adam scribbled notes on his notepad. His handwriting was untidy, and only possible to read if you squinted. Ronan struggled to read what he was writing with the added disadvantage of reading it backwards. Whilst he was talking, Ronan took the chance to take in all of Adam’s features. On the plane, they had been sat next to each other and there wasn’t much room to swivel in the seat to get a better look. Now though, Ronan had a full view of him. His long, slender legs folded back underneath his chair, his sleeves slightly hitched up as he leaned against the table revealing tanned, freckled wrists and calloused hands. Ronan clenched his fist on his knee when he considered how Adam’s hands would feel against his skin. 

“These are actually some pretty great ideas.” Adam’s voiced pulled Ronan out of his thoughts. 

Ronan reluctantly removed his gaze from Adam’s hands and met his eyes instead. “Are you surprised?” 

“A little. Usually readers just want what’s best for the characters, but that doesn’t make a good story, unless they have to fight for it.” 

“Hey! You two! Why aren’t you up here dancing?” Blue yelled above the music as she made her way to their table, hoisting up her dress with her hands. 

“Dancing isn’t really for me,” Adam admitted, shooting a glance at Ronan. Ronan nodded in agreement. 

“Me? Dancing? Have you ever met me, Sargent? Or should I say Gansey now?” 

“If you call me Gansey I will drop kick you.” 

Adam snorted, spraying champagne across the table. He dabbed himself with a napkin, “Sorry, sorry.” 

Blue rolled her eyes. “Come on, you have to dance. You can’t be any worse than Gansey,” behind her, Gansey almost tripped over as he attempted a moonwalk. “See? Come on, please.” 

Adam looked at Ronan with a raised eyebrow. “We better do as the bride says.” 

“I hate both of you.” Ronan said, and Blue punched the air in triumph. 

Blue took both of their hands and led them to the dance floor. It was already crowded with members of both the Sargent and Gansey variety, leaving the three of them standing closer together than Ronan would have liked. The music overhead was upbeat, and Blue, still holding both of their hands, moved her arms to the beat, pulling them with her. 

“Having a good time?” Gansey called, making his way towards them. Ronan cringed as Gansey kept his feet in time with the music. 

“They are thanks to _me_.” replied Blue, finally releasing Ronan and Adam’s hands in favor of Gansey’s. 

“I was having a pretty good time sitting with Ronan, actually.” Adam countered. Ronan hoped the flashing disco lights concealed the pinkness that rose in his cheeks. Blue narrowed her eyes at Adam. “But dancing is fun too.” 

“Isn’t it just?” Gansey said, dipping Blue. “I’m not that great at it, but it is fun.” 

“That’s the understatement of the year.” Ronan said to Adam, eyeing Gansey’s twisted feet. Adam laughed loudly in agreement. 

“What was that?” Gansey asked absentmindedly, too transfixed on Blue. 

Adam laughed again and shook his head at the same time as Ronan. “Do any of you know where Noah is? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Blue scanned the room before pointing toward the table littered with bubble blowers. “He’s over there.” She pulled herself from Gansey’s grip, then dragged him over to where Noah was stood blowing bubbles all over the room, leaving Adam and Ronan alone once more. 

It was significantly more awkward with just the two of them, as neither of them were keen dancers. Ronan tapped his feet on the floor whilst looking at anything but Adam, and Adam tried his best to catch Ronan’s gaze. 

“Do you want to go outside? It’s a bit warm in here.” Adam suggested, Ronan assumed he was feeling the same awkwardness he was, and agreed. They walked to the patio doors on the other end of the dance floor together, avoiding slightly too drunk family members on their way. 

There was still some light outside, but the sun was almost setting. A slight breeze passed through the gardens, and it ruffled through Adam’s hair. 

“How long are you staying for?” Adam asked, turning away from the grounds behind him. 

“Just a few days,” Ronan replied, “I see Gansey a lot.” 

“I haven’t seen them in a while. I talk to Blue on the phone mostly, but I’ve been busy.” 

“With the book?” Ronan swallowed. The porch they were stood on didn’t leave much room between the two of them. 

“Yeah, and other work stuff.” Adam looked at the ground, and then back at Ronan. “Ronan... I was wondering, are you… are you seeing anyone?” 

Ronan coughed in surprise. “No.. No I’m not.” He put his hands behind his back to hide how clammy they were becoming. 

Adam’s face split into a grin, revealing dimples on both of his cheeks. Ronan could guess what was coming next, but he was still unprepared. Adam took the last step between the two of them, bringing them face to face, their noses almost touching. Adam’s eyes flicked to Ronan’s lips before he pressed his own to Ronan’s. Ronan’s hands hovered in the air for a few seconds, before he hesitantly put one on Adam’s back, and the other on his cheek, matching Adam’s position. Adam’s kiss was gentle but brief, and when he pulled away, Ronan found himself wanting to pull him back. Adam smiled at him, their faces still inches apart. Then a thought hit Ronan.

“This was their plan all along!” 

Adam furrowed his eyebrows. “What? I’m not following.” 

“Gansey and Blue! Our plane seats, the same taxi, and then they put our name cards together. They were setting us up!” Ronan wasn’t sure whether to be angry or grateful. On one hand, he was perfectly capable of getting dates himself, thank you very much, on the other, he would never have met Adam by himself. 

Adam burst out laughing. “They’re going to be so smug when they found out it worked.” 

“I can’t believe they set us up.” Ronan repeated, dumbfounded. 

“Are you two okay out here?” Blue’s voice came from the other side of the open patio door, a satisfied smile set on her face. Gansey was stood just behind her, a similar expression on his face. Ronan’s eyes were daggers.

“You’re welcome!” Gansey said with a wink.

“I will kill them one day.” Ronan sighed, although he didn’t have it in him to be angry with Adam stood next to him. 

“I’ll hide the bodies.” Adam replied, taking Ronan’s hand and kissing him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are encouraged. :)
> 
> come talk to me [here](http://booronan.tumblr.com)
> 
> come talk to becca [here](http://noahczerns.tumblr.com)


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